Front Row

The Shantanand Festival of Arts is back for its 5th edition, and this year, the theme of the festival is “Interweaving”. We speak with Kumar Karthigesu and Prakash Kandasamy from The Temple of Fine Arts about how the festival brings together a diverse array of art forms to reflect on the uniqueness of the Malaysian identity.

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The Shantanand Festival of Arts is back for its 5th edition, and this year, the theme of the festival is “Interweaving”. We speak with Kumar Karthigesu and Prakash Kandasamy from The Temple of Fine Arts about how the festival brings together a diverse array of art forms to reflect on the uniqueness of the Malaysian identity.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Victor Chin’s current art exhibition, titled “Fixing Memories”, continues his longstanding interest in the vernacular Straits Settlement shophouses in Malaysia and Singapore. Besides paying homage to the aesthetics of these unique structures, however, Chin’s work also critiques local conservation practices, and questions how modernisation affects these aspects of our visual heritage. We speak with the artist about his works and what he hopes to convey through them.

Local multidisciplinary artist Blankmalaysia is presenting his debut solo exhibition called “The Intolerable Interval”, which revolves around the idea of entropy - a gradual decline from order to chaos. To reflect on this concept, Blank draws on influences as wide-ranging as music, science fiction, horror films, and philosophy. We speak with him about his beginnings as an artist, his approach to creating art, and how he sees entropy all around us.

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When it comes to the arts, how do we start ‘em young? To celebrate Universal Children’s Day, we discuss why it is important to expose children to the arts, and some of the ways that this can be done effectively. Joining the show are Diong Chae Lian, co-founder of Gardner & Wife Theatre, and Choo Li Hsian, coordinator of children’s programmes at ILHAM Gallery.

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Odawa Wiingushk is a trio of dancers from Canada who tell the stories of three Indigenous Nations from North America through their performances. Ahead of a showcase of their dances in Kuala Lumpur, we speak with group members Lindy Kinoshameg, Leslie McCue, and Jillian Sutherland about the significance of these indigenous dances and the importance of continuing to practice them.

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Marika Sardar holds the distinction of being the first Asian curator to be appointed by the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, one of the world’s leading museums for Islamic art. Ahead of her appearance at Gallery Weekend Kuala Lumpur 2019, we speak with Marika about her interest in Islamic art, her work with the Aga Khan Museum, and how art curation is changing in contemporary times.

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There are few stories as iconic as that of Dr Frankenstein and his monster - from Mary Shelley’s classic novel to numerous onscreen portrayals. A local musical theatre production called Frankenstein 2039, seeks to reimagine the story of a man trying to play God, by updating and setting the story in a futuristic dystopian setting. We speak to the folks behind the show, Shafeeq Shajahan and Hannah Shields, co-founders of Liver & Lung Productions.

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It might seem like quite an undertaking to commit to a 10-year project, but that’s exactly what Indonesian multidisciplinary artists Irwan Ahmett and Tita Salina have done with their The Flame of the Pacific project. The project is a series of artistic and social interventions that range from Indonesia to New Zealand, and reflect on the geopolitical issues of the “Ring of Fire” region - where among other things, they travel, collect stories and artifacts, and present performances. We speak with Irwan and Tita about this huge artistic undertaking of theirs, from what inspired it, what exactly it entails, and where they hope it will lead.

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Kuala Lumpur native Ganesh Bala is a musician, composer, and producer who is interested in creating neo-traditional music that infuses rhythm, timbres, and instruments from the West, Indian, and Indo-Malaysian culture. His debut instrumental album brings together Asian musical instruments with contemporary Western jazz. We speak with Ganesh ahead of his show, about his approach to fusion music and what a “Malaysian sound” might mean.